Katie Across the Pond

Chronicles of Cantabridgia

2009-03-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

"A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man's life as in a book. Haste makes waste, no less in life than in housekeeping. Keep the time, observe the hours of the universe, not of the cars."
Henry David Thoreau

It has been spring in Cambridge for two days. The sun shines, daffodils flourish, and it is still light out when I walk home in the evening. I wrote once before that winter suits Cambridge... now, I think I must admit that any season suits Cambridge. When I first arrived in the autumn the ivy covering the buildings was brilliant crimson and gold, and the days were long and crisp. In a way I liked the winter too, for the settled feeling caused by the grayness of low-hanging clouds. As spring peeks out, hinting of a brilliant summer to come, I find myself enamored with the lifestyle of leisure Cantabridgians enjoy. There is hardly anything more enjoyable than an afternoon out punting on the Cam with friends, or sipping a cup of tea at Mill Pond with someone special. Here are some pics from last weekend but, honestly, you have to come visit to experience it!

Ooooo to the SLO

2009-03-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Norway is amazing. Seriously. One minute we were in Cambridge, frantically hailing a taxi because our train to the airport was cancelled... the next, landing in the middle of nowhere, Norway, in a beautiful pine forest with feet upon feet of snow. Andy aptly said it was like going through the wardrobe straight into Narnia. Sooo incredible!

Friends and fam, be proud of the new KG... even in the midst of a cancelled train to the airport, and a nearly missed bus on the way back (we were having a cheeky cup of coffee while the rest of the group was dragging our luggage onto the bus - yikes!), I remained calm. I didn't cry, didn't panic, and only had to be told once to relax. Anyway, the trip was hilarious. There were nine of us, so just trying to find a place to eat had a far too high hassle value... but that's half the fun.

Noteworthy moments from the vacay include (but are not limited to):

Taking a winter cruise around Oslofjord, drinking tea and enjoying the snow and sights, including the Opera House and City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is given out
Engaging in a snowball fight in downtown Oslo
Seeing Scream and Madonna by Edvard Munch in the National Gallery
Eating fish samiches in a cute little cafe/bar
Taking a tour of the Fram, which was the ship that explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.
Visiting a Viking Ship museum
Having Norwegian cheese samiches and coffee
Drinking £10 cocktails in a bar patio with heat lamps and blankets
Tobogganing... epic. Picture flying down a 2 km long run on an old-school wooden toboggan with steel runners on the bottom, and only a rope and your feet to steer with, AND no way of braking. Fantastic! By the end of it we were soaking wet, freezing cold, and the happiest people on earth. Watching Andy and Ben crash was hilarious... one time Andy crashed big-time, his sled went careering down the mountain, and a cross country skier had to dart out of the way. Sooo funny. We all ended up with scrapes or bruises - both of my thighs are still black and blue. Most fun ever.

They aren't joking when the say Oslo is the most expensive city ever. It really is. Good thing we got cheap flights! I booked the hostel (if you're visitng Oslo, stay in the Anker - it's amazing!), and was excited to find it was really nice and centrally located. We were only there for two nights, but it was sooo much fun. For your viewing pleasure...

A taste of what's to come...

2009-03-09T15:30:00.001-07:00

An Oslo post is in the works, and will be up as soon as I gather everyone's pics! But just as a little teaser...

Skol Vikings!

2009-03-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

I just had an epiphany... I haven't written for ages, am leaving for Norway in 8 hours, and should defo update before I have loads more to talk about!

The past couple weeks have just been incredible... I feel so blessed to be in Cambridge! The weather has started to warm up, and I am just loving the lifestyle here (or, at least, the lifestyle of a PhD student here). The other day Andy and I left the department and walked down the backs on the way home to look at all the bluebells, daffodils, and crocuses. A's mom came to visit on a Thursday afternoon, and we left work early to go out for a cuppa tea, then took an hour-long walk along the river and looked at swans and chatted. On crisp Saturday afternoon I watched a Magdalene College footy match, went out for tea and cakes, cooked dinner with some friends at Andy's house, then went to see a movie. Sunday we went on a bike ride to the village of Grantchester, where we relaxed in a pub before heading back to Cam. It has been really incredible hanging out in such a wonderful place!

Two weekends ago I had an amazing day out at the Jorvik Viking Festival in York. The Gates Scholars took a coach up and spent all day exploring the city. York was called Eboaracum in A.D. 71, and was the northernmost city in the Roman Empire... Constantine was declared emperor there in A.D. 306. It was, at some point, taken over by the Vikings for a couple centuries, which is why we went to a Viking Festival there. The city is incredibly beautiful, and we spent most of our time exploring York Minster (a sweet Gothic church), the Shambles (medieval quarter), walking along the old walls which surrounded the 12th century city, and having tea and lunch at Betty's (the queue to get in was around the block, seriously!). Here are some of the pics from the epic day:

Okie, off to pack - not amused by Ryan Air's strict baggage allowance, but I guess you get what you pay for... wish me luck in cold Oslo! :)

Charlie

2009-02-18T17:50:00.001-08:00

This video makes me giggle so much every time I see it!

Shelford Shenanigans

2009-02-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Just returned from a lovely eve in Lil' Shelford, where my friend Nick's parents live in a charming thatched roof cottage - complete with low ceilings and a fireplace. Nick and his girlfriend, and Andy and I, visited and had an incredible din dins with wine, tea, cake, apple crisp, and just a wee sip of Scotch. Then we stretched out on the floor next to the fire and chatted away. I can't even explain how much I love having a "home away from home" where I can escape for a bit to clear my mind and relax. Peeps here have such a graciousness about them that I find fascinating, if not a little daunting... it makes me think I have a lot to learn from Cambridge outside the classroom.

This is a thatched roof cottage, although not the one I was just in. Unfortunately, the sun still sets before 5 p.m. so I couldn't get a pic. But it looks sorta like this:

Profundities?

2009-02-17T01:08:00.000-08:00

Here am I again failing at writing often enough, and forcing all of you to read another novel. Apologies for not writing for so long, and appreciation for still checking in!

Lent Term in Cambridge is wonderful… I have a renewed and more focused mind, am more comfortable in this new place with my new friends, and am having even more ridiculous good times than I could have imagined. Everyone told me that coming to Cambridge would be such an incredible experience and, while I believed them, I had reservations about picking up and moving to a new place… but now this place is another home away from home!

Where to begin??? Research is going well, but is becoming more and more stressful over time. I’ll be going to Germany in March (after going to Norway and Scotland – woohoo!), and have to be prepared in terms of research by then. I also plan to give a presentation at a Nuclear Forum here in Cambridge in March, and possibly another poster presentation in St. Petersburg in May. It’s good for me to have deadlines for making sense of my research, but as I’m also writing up my first year report for evaluation, it is becoming just a bit stressful. Good thing I love stressful situations (!!).

I started Salsa lessons in my college, and am having so much fun. There’s an Irish Dance Society here too, but I couldn’t bring myself to use precious suitcase space to pack my Irish shoes. Anyway, salsa is good fun and a little healthy exercising! Some other events I’ve been to recently include a murder mystery dinner at church, a six course wild boar feast at Queens College, a Cambridge United / Oxford United footy (yes, soccer) game, a burns night dinner complete with Haggis (!!) and bagpipes, a Ceidlih at Magdalene College and a day trip to London with some girlfriends for some shopping and culture. In London I visited the British Library, which had a display about the Beatles with their original song lyrics scribbled on paper, and a display about Beethoven with his music written out, including some notes scribbled out. So cool! I also spent a weekend away with church folk in their 20s and 30s in Norfolk, and took a long stroll through the countryside – how very English!

The weather has finally warmed up after an incredible snowy couple weeks! We had one fantastic snowstorm which started on a Sunday, and walking through Cambridge was magical. It was so special to walk through Parker’s Piece and see a lone lamppost lighting the way… it made me feel like I was in Narnia! “ ‘This is the land of Narnia,’ said the Faun, ‘where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea.’ “ C.S.L. was a Cambridge man himself (and an Oxford man, but we’ll let that slide), and it’s said that the real lamppost that inspired the one in Narnia is here… sweet!

Okie, off to work now I’m afraid. Teaching a lab practical on thermal expansion in materials to lil’ undergrads. I’ll write again soon! x

Andy and I in our 70s getup (no comments on the creepy mustache):

Having a cheeky half pint at the Cambridge Winter Ale Festival (NB: the ales are up to 12% alcohol!!)

Girls outside the British Library:

My house in the snow:

Silly antics on a walk through the countryside:

Happy 800th, Cambridge!

2009-01-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

"In 2009, the University of Cambridge reaches a special milestone – 800 years of people, ideas and achievements that continue to transform and benefit the world. Celebrating the best of Cambridge’s rich history and looking forward to the future, the University will reflect on the myriad achievements and world-changing ideas born within its walls, from the establishment of the fundamentals of physics to the discovery of the structure of DNA; from the transformative thinking of great Cambridge philosophers, poets and artists; to the groundbreaking work of its many Nobel Prize winners.

Cambridge is one of the world's leading research universities. Cambridge affiliates have won more than 80 Nobel Prizes, more than any other institution in the world.Some of the most famous scientific minds in history have studied, researched or taught here. This is the home of Newton and Darwin, Crick and Watson, Babbage and Hawking. However, it is also the place where the first fully 3D computer game was written, where the precursor to the modern webcam was invented, and where some of today’s best-known entertainers began their careers.

Cambridge provides an unparalleled learning experience for our students, who come here from across the globe. Our teaching staff are world leaders in their fields. Our researchers are working towards the discoveries and innovations that will transform lives now and in the years to come."

(www.cam.ac.uk/800)

I always feel blessed to be at this University, but this is an especially exciting time. Seriously, people... 800 years is a long time. The United States is only 233... it's hard to imagine just how many years of history this University has. Last night we went to a light show and bell-ringing, which were the first events of a year of celebration. Here is a video of the entire light show (from YouTube, as I was stuck behind some tall dudes so my video is mostly the back of a head!):

Back in the Bridge

2009-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

So, I’ve been back for a week now and thought I should pull up my bootstraps (hope none of my British friends read this blog!) and start writing again. I should be over jet lag by now, but had a slightly strange experience this morning in which I woke up at 11:58 a.m. – seriously, I slept that late – in my running clothes on top of my bed. No recollection of whether or not I actually DID go running when my alarm went off at 6 a.m... Stranger things have probably never happened. Ohh well, no matter… by the time I got to the office only ONE officemate had been in, and there are five of us. Oh ye of little faith who think I’m going to fail my Ph.D… are probably correct. I digress, but it all comes back to my opening point… time to pull up my bootstraps in more than one aspect of my life.

In my defense, I have actually gotten a moderate amount of work done since I’ve been back. Last week I got to teach volcanology to school kids – woo, back to my roots. All those vacations visiting volcanoes and lava flows actually paid off! It was really invigorating to see people excited and asking good questions, and inspired me to learn more about the big picture of my own research – good pub banter, if nothing else. Maybe someday a class on nuclear energy, eh? I had my seven hundredth “open mouth, insert foot” moment since I’ve been here… when talking about the possibility of an eruption in the Yellowstone area, I laughed about my family living close by, and said it would actually be better to die in the initial blast than of starvation a year later when we can’t grow any crops. After the session a teacher came up to me and somberly told a story about her house being destroyed in an eruption… she didn’t appear to be very amused by my flippant discussion of hypothetical eruptions. But seriously, what are the odds?

Not much has happened here in the last week aside from catching up with friends and delving into research again. Had a great night out with the geology folks on Friday eve, which ended in a random clandestine tour of Trinity College, hunted down by security guards (flashlights and walkie-talkies included) who had seen us on CCTV cameras. Aside from that, I’ll have to impatiently wait for more stories to create themselves. Therefore, I’m posting some pictures from Christmas break – friends, family, etc. for your viewing pleasure. It was an incredible two weeks at home, and I came back not sure which place is real and which is a dream… I always feel like Cambridge isn’t very connected to the rest of the world, but coming back after being home was like the clock striking midnight and finding out my carriage is actually a pumpkin. Soon enough, though, I’ll be settled in again.

I’ll be preparing another post soon in the spirit of the new year – reflecting on 2008 and getting excited about 2009. For now, must get back to a journal article on the nuclear fuel cycle vs. the carbon cycle. Riveting stuff. In sum, things are fantastic in Cambridge… the sun even came out today, and the temperature reached a whopping 48 degrees F. Beautiful. I’m so lucky to be here.

Girls' night out in Boise:

Snowshoeing with Dad:

Christmas day with Mom:

Lynch Christmas party:

New Years' Eve, headed to Jackpot, NV casino:

Thoughts for the New Year from Desiderata

2008-12-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Desiderata
-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Props to Obama for being "Chu"sy!

2008-12-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

I have a lot to update you on before I head home tomorrow, but that will require another post later. More importantly, Barack Obama chose Stephen Chu as the new Secretary of Energy, and I am so relieved! I think he's a fantastic choice for several reasons: 1) He's a scientist, not a politician. 2) Although he's not a politician, he will still be very familiar with politics, having served as the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 3) He knows the national lab system, how it works, and therefore recognizes the importance of the research being carried out at each lab. 4) He's anti-coal... to the tune of saying "Coal is my worst nightmare." Join the club! 5) He's pro nuclear. 6) Even though he's pro-nuclear, he recognizes that all the waste problems haven't been solved (i.e. there's a job market out there for me!) 6) He won a Nobel Prize, and that's pretty cool. Unfortunately (in my humble opinion) he's really against the nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain. If you want to know more about him, here are a couple articles:

Chu

Coal

Carols from King's

2008-12-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post a song from "Carols from King's" which is a shortened version of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel in Cambridge. The chapel is absolutely stunning (see earlier posts for pics), and the service is played on BBC every year since 1928 except 1930. Most of the college choirs here are made up of young boys, and are often joined by (usually male) undergraduate students as "Choral Scholars." Enjoy "Once in Royal David's City":

Textese

2008-12-12T14:09:00.001-08:00

Just reading a hilarious BBC article about new slang words coming out of London - put them in the rotation!

404 - clueless (originating from the error message you get when a webpage can't be found. "Don't be 404, learn all the new slang words!")
Book - cool (when you use predictive text and type in "cool", book is the first word that comes up)
Code 35 - poor (on the Tube, when your Oyster card is out of money the screen shows Code 35)
Code 11 - out of date, not with the times (similarly, when an Oyster card is expired, the screen shows Code 11)
DrinkLink - ATM (for obvious reasons, though I'm 404 about why one would choose a longer phrase as slang)
CGI Joe - a geek (like GI Joe, but a nerdy CGI script programmer... not sure I really get this one)
GOOD Job - a Get Out Of Debt job
a RAB - committing a massive faux pas (from Ross and Brand)

Love it! I personally am going to start using them stat. x

Christmas time in Cambridge!

2008-12-10T09:23:00.001-08:00

Nothing new or exciting to report, just wanted to post some pictures of Cambridge so you can visualize where I am and what I do every day! Cambridge is incredibly beautiful this time of year... pictures don't really do it justice! Ok, must run cook dinner... am headed to a Ceilidh tonight, should be great fun!

Mi casa (my room is the second window from the right, bottom floor):

My department... labs, offices, etc. Called the "Downing Site":

My bank... Lloyds TSB:

The Grand Arcade (kinda like a shopping mall... love it!):

Mill Pond, where you can rent punts, or get a cider and sit on the grass on a sunny day:

Rose Crescent Street (there is a fancy Mickey D's tucked in atiny corner on this street... apparently they don't want to ruin the aesthetic of Cambridge!): By the way, this picture was taken at 4 p.m. Not joking.

Okie, there's my life in a nutshell! I'll be home in a week, woohoo!!!

Masquerading... as a PhD student?

2008-12-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

" 'Twas the week before leaving, when all through the lab
Not a student was stirring, now the atmosphere's drab
Demonstrations were finished last week with flair
In hope that the first-years would vaguely care
The old PhDs in San Fran to give talks
And I find myself wandering on very long walks..."

Ok, I'm not bored enough to write my entire post in the rhyming style of The Night Before Christmas... lucky for you. But seriously, the department is incredibly quiet, actually the entire town is really quiet. The undergrad term finished last week, and lots of the geologists left for AGU, so we mineral scientists and physicists (minscis and minphys, if you will) are left with no excuses for not working. Somehow, I still manage to find distractions. Today Su-Ying (my office mate) and I were doing soccer tricks in the office (I know, I know... I don't play soccer) until it started to get dangerous - i.e. computers, half-full mugs of cold coffee... you see where this is going.

At the risk of sounding like it's all work and no play here, I have to keep you updated on my social life (otherwise, the pictures will just seem weird). Saturday night some of us Gates Scholars went to a Masquerade party - a huge dinner, karaoke night, casino, ice luge for Bailey's, dancing... pretty much a carnival for grown-up kids! It was fantastic! Thursday night my friend Andy invited me over for a pre-pre-Christmas Party, and he and his housemates cooked turkey, cranberries, and all the deliciousness that makes up a holiday meal. So I finally got my Thanksgiving dinner, albeit a week late. They even made mulled wine (my first experience with this), which prepared me for the mulled wine and mince pie holiday parties coming up this weekend. I feel like I need to introduce two things to England: 1) sweet potatoes with (yes, all of these) honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, and marshmallows, and 2) Naomi's marshmallow-stuffed rolls. Yum! While I'm on the theme of marshmallows, s'mores should probably be introduced as well... though that might be a summer project, as I don't feel they're quite yet ready for such an endeavor! :)

Okie, off to bed for now... visions of apatite nuclear wasteforms dance in my head.

K

Fabulicious

2008-12-07T15:55:00.001-08:00

Much to my surprise, my friend Emily bestowed upon me a “Your Blog is Fabulous” award! Coming from the queen of blogging, it’s quite a compliment! So, in response I must list my 5 favorite fabulous things:

1) Family:
Strange that I’ve come to appreciate and need them more than ever when I’m the furthest from home! We’re certainly not perfect, and definitely not normal, and sometimes we argue, but it’s the closest humanly thing to unconditional love that any of us will ever know! I’m so thankful to have the most loving, supportive family.

2) Starbucks coffee:
Grande white chocolate mocha, skinny, no whip, with half as much syrup as normal. On a dreary day in The Bridge, the cheery red cup and familiar taste makes me so happy! Now if the raspberry swirl iced lemon pound cake could just make it across the pond…

3) Books:
Obviously this is not a new one. I love love love them. I love reading books about science, faith, policy, the environment, history, biographies, and even some cheeky fiction. See the “bookshelf” on the right for some of my recent favorites, and some “oldies but goodies.”

4) Football:
Duh. Specifically, Oklahoma football. Those of you who have been to a game know what I mean when I say… there’s nothing like it! Boomer sooner!

5) British-isms (this will be a long list!):
Some need no explanation, me thinks… mate, brilliant, keen (e.g. going to the pub sounds brilliant, mate, I’m keen!), rubbish (trash, also used in reference to talking rubbish), chuffin’ heck (kind of almost a swear word, but not as bad), all right? (hello, how are you?), cracking (the best, as in a crackin’ good time), bothered/naffed (I can’t be bothered to do it), bob’s your uncle (not really sure on this one, but kinda like “that’s it” added to the end of a sentence), camp (effeminate/gay), cheeky (flippant, as in want to grab a cheeky pint? Or… you cheeky little monkey!), faffing around (dilly-dallying), fancy, us (meaning ME), throwing some shapes (dancing, cutting the rug), what are you on about? (what are you talking about?), knackered (tired), quid (a pound, but slang like a buck for a dollar), taking the mick(ey) / taking the piss / winding up (all phrases referring to making fun of someone). Strange, I know… but people actually use these words! Brilliant!

Additionally, I am passing on the award to 5 others: Kate, Jordan, StuffWhitePeopleLike, Danielle&Kely... Yes, I know. That's only four. Quality over quantity.

Hmmm...

2008-12-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Obama's options for DOE... interesting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won't allow an Energy Secretary who supports moving forward with Yucca Mountain. Why? Maybe he thinks the $13.5 billion already spent is okay to just write off as a lost cause, or maybe he thinks that the millions of gallons of high-level radioactive waste and thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel are safer in the current storage facilities - cooling pools and dry casks. He says "Yucca Mountain is dead, and it is time to move forward in a new direction with on-site waste storage." Ok, there it is... debate.

This is not really a convention, it’s just the normal way of doing things

2008-12-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

“I find Cambridge an asylum, in every sense of the word.”
-A. E. Housman

Again, apologies for not writing for ages. I need to start writing more frequently… now I have too much to say (although that’s not really anomalous, eh?).

So… I’ll just get stuck in (yes, a British-ism meaning “to dig in”) and update you on what’s been going on! I have been incredibly busy over the past couple weeks, but have just loved having so much to do – no time to dwell on being far from home, sans a boyfriend, and moderately less intelligent that the general population of the University! Two weeks ago I had my first experience with a “pantomime.” For those of you who think this involves a theatrical performance by a mime, join the club… but it is not so. A “panto” is a really strange and hilarious musical comedy production that usually includes a lead woman or man played by the opposite sex, slapstick comedy, lots of “look out, he’s behind you!,” and throwing candy into the crowd. Hard to explain… it’s just one of those things you have to experience once in your life ( but once is probably enough). In this particular panto, there was a remarkably Borat-esqe dude in a lime green mankini – quite possibly burned into my memory for a long, long time.

I’ve also been to about seven million formal halls and dinner parties recently. I’m posting some pictures from dinner/bar at Jesus College last Friday and a Mexican fiesta dinner (at which I burned some corn soup)! Last week I went to formal halls at Magdalene, St. John’s, Queen’s, and Selwyn Colleges, and also went to a dinner party at Sidney Sussex. Formal at Magdalene was only lit by candles… magical! At John’s, after dinner we had sherry and went to a piano concert by a guy who was playing Chopin… it was one of those “this would only happen at Cambridge” moments. I feel so blessed to have great friends that are in different colleges, because I get to experience all of them!

On Saturday I went to my first real soccer (football) game, and loved it! The crowd is hilarious… apparently they get even rowdier than they did on Saturday – not sure how I feel about that. I only saw about three women in the entire terrace section. The Cambridge United team stadium is a short bus ride away, so hopefully I can make it to a lot of games (errr… matches). I need another sport to pour my heart into, since I can’t watch real football here. Although if I cheer like I do in football, I won’t have any friends to go to the game with! (Side note – Boomer Sooner! OU is playing in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday! Don’t take for granted the fact that you can watch it on TV, because some of us can’t!).

Cambridge is just incredible this time of year… as much as I complain about the weather, I really love the crisp wintery days. On days when it seems dreary, gray, and old, I just have to remind myself that I’m in one of the coolest places on Earth! The Christmas spirit is in full swing – lights are up everywhere, and carol services are going on in every church and college chapel. The church I go to (St. Andrew the Great) had a carol service last Sunday, and the house was packed! I can’t help but feel lucky every single day… walking to work through the downtown area, passing street musicians and carolers, puts a smile on my face every morning!

Speaking of work… research is still going really well. I’m past the frustrated stage because I realized it doesn’t do any good to be frustrated. There is certainly an attitude of “it will get done when it gets done” here, and it’s tough to cope with that while still trying to stay motivated and work hard. Christmas break will provide much-needed time to reflect on the work I’ve done and formulate a plan of attack for the spring. I’ll be home two weeks from today – woohoo! On Monday I was able to go to a workshop in London about peer review, which was hosted by Elsevier publishing and a group called Sense About Science. It was a fantastic experience, and I met several other young scientists from the UK and had great conversations. It’s so exciting to be a Ph.D. student and have such incredible opportunities.

Ok, enough for now, and onto pictures… I’ll get in the habit of posting more frequently so they aren’t such long novels. Cheers!

Jesus College formal hall:

Phil, Alex, Me, and Andy:

Top row: Alex, Andy, Phil, Me
Bottom row: Su-Ying, Ruth, Nick, Nate

Ruth and me at Oktoberfest:

Where is fancy bred, in the heart or in the head?

2008-11-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

[N.B. Props to the legend, Willy Wonka (and originally Shakespeare, I guess), for inspiring the title of this post]

Hi loves! I know it’s been forever since I’ve actually posted about life in Cambridge… thanks for not giving up on me! I hardly know where to start about what’s been going on for the past few weeks – it has been so wonderful, exciting, and challenging.

Research has been going swimmingly. My supervisors are incredible and always seem to, amazingly, have time for me. I’m currently working on making apatite-based ceramic pellets doped with cerium, which serves as a surrogate for plutonium. Hopefully I’ll eventually be doing experiments with plutonium at ITU in Germany. There are some fantastic students in the department, and we hang out a lot (happy hour, pub quiz, pub lunch, formal dinner swaps). I spent Sunday having lunch with the Christians in Earth Sciences group in a nearby village, then had dinner later in the evening at a friend’s parents’ house – an adorable thatched-roof true English home! It was surreal! Academic life at Cambridge is everything I thought it would be – and more. There are so many incredible lectures and events going on all the time. It seems like everything that comes up in discussion was either invented or discovered or worked on at Cambridge, and I always feel incredibly blessed to be among such brilliant company!

Social life is just as interesting as academic life – it has been a whirlwind. There are so many organized dinners, parties, etc… and impromptu fun as well! While walking home from a dinner on Friday night, my friend Alex and I heard Irish music pouring out of the upper story of a downtown building, so we (one Irish girl and one Irish dancer) climbed the stairs and found an Irish band, dancing, and free beer! We stayed and danced, and had a ball meeting new Cantabrigians. I’m in a lucky position to have so many great groups of friends – in the department, in college, and Gates Scholars. There are a plethora of opportunities to get out and see Cambridge so it’s next to impossible to wallow in homesickness (though I do miss y’all so much!). This week alone my evenings include yoga, a lecture on religion and science, a grad night at the bar, formal dinners with friends at Queens College and Jesus College, a cheeky pantomime my housemates are in, and an (albeit late) Oktoberfest celebration at Darwin College. Phew! No wonder I haven’t gotten over this cold that’s been hanging out for five weeks – too much going and no sign of slowing!

I’m posting a few pictures of recent events… if you want to see more, just e-mail me! I’m also working on getting pictures of my house and office so you can picture where I live – it’s not Kansas (or Idaho or Oklahoma) anymore! ☺ Thanks for keeping up on me, and I’m looking forward to being back in the states and seeing everyone at Christmas! Love you, miss you.

K

Phil's Birthday dinner and party:

Jesus College Matriculation dinner (with officemate Su-Ying and supervisor Simon):

Trinity College formal hall (with Earth Sciences kids):

Office dinner and night out:

Emmanuel College Oktoberfest (with Gates kids):

I can't believe I live here!

2008-10-26T15:42:00.001-07:00

Terrific Thames

2008-10-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you about the most wonderful evening I had last Saturday! All the Gates Cambridge Scholars were invited to go on a Thames River dinner cruise in London, and it was absolutely incredible. We took a bus to London, all dressed up, then boarded at 6 p.m. for a delicious meal and wine and cruised through London past all the iconic sights such as Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, etc. It was magical and surreal, and for the millionth time since being here I felt so lucky to have this experience. I felt like a true "Cantabridgian" walking through the downtown Cambridge market area in my dress headed to a black tie affair, while tons of tourists were milling around taking pictures of King's College Chapel and the new clock. I still feel like a tourist every day, and am not sure when I'll get used to the fact that I actually live here. I am so lucky!

Zebrafish development

2008-10-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

Watch this incredible video of the first 24 hours of the development of a Zebrafish embryo... captured with Digital Scanned Laser Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy: